A Super Exciting Announcement!

 

Hello!  I have some great news!  Many, many, many of my long time readers from this old blog have been asking me to do a recipe book or a book on tips and tricks of thrifty living and that is what I’ve been working on, but with a twist.  I went through eleven years of recipes and articles compiling the best of the best into this project.  I even added some recipes that were not on the blog.  Not only is it a recipe book (with wipe off pages!), but it is also has a section called “Pearls Of Wisdom” with tips and tricks to save money at the grocery store, meal planning, school lunches, stockpiling, pretty much all things food related.

 

Additionally, it is a journal with areas to expand and add your own recipes, food related memories, meal ideas, whatever you want.  Places to tuck things like coupons and gift cards, recipes you might clip from a newspaper or magazine.  Plus!  A surprise ephemera pack is enclosed with each one to get you started so you can make this journal your very own.

 

I put my heart and soul into this journal along with a lot of thought.  Each journal is unique, no two are identical as far as the styling, but the information contained inside is consistent with each one.  Journals need to be tailored to the owner so that is what you will have, the opportunity to tailor this journal to meet your specific needs and requirements.

 

We have a three volume set of journals in mind, based on how well the first one does.  Volume one is based on all things food management related.  Volume two will be based on home management and volume three will be all things Christmas and other celebrations!

 

Right now we are doing a “soft launch”.  I am listing Thrifty Mom In Boise A Journal For Everyday Living Volume 1 available for sale on eBay with a lower introductory rate of $49.95 throughout the month of September for those of you interested in purchasing a copy.  The reason I chose eBay is so I can ship them internationally as I have a lot of readers outside the U.S. and I wanted them to have an opportunity as well.

 

I am ever so grateful for the chance to do this and it wouldn’t have been possible without the great readers I have.  Thank you for following along with me all these years and for the massive amounts of encouragement to do this.  I’m praying this goes well so I can offer the additional two volumes in the near future.  I hope you like it.  Happy Cooking!  Happy Eating!  Happy Journaling!!

 

Super Easy & Thrifty Baked Gnocchi

 

Last month I posted how I use super thrifty meals intermittently in our meal plans to help us stretch our extreme grocery budget.  My goal is to serve delicious and nutritious meals my girls want to eat and this baked gnocchi recipe is one of their favorite thrifty meals.

 

Use your favorite pasta sauce, a package of gnocchi and your choice of cheese
It doesn't get much easier than this

Baked Gnocchi 

1 package potato gnocchi

2 cups pasta sauce

1/2 cup grated cheese 

In a large sauce pan cook gnocchi according to package directions, drain and set aside.  In the pan heat pasta sauce and bring to a light bubble.  Remove pan from heat, add gnocchi and stir to combine.  Pour into a one quart baking dish and top with cheese.  "Bake" in microwave on high for five minutes.  Serves 4.

 

Cooking gnocchi is super easy

Stir into boiling water and once it floats to the top and the water
just comes back to the boil it is done

I serve a vegetable or a nice green salad on the side.  The girls love this dish and will easily finish it off in one evening leaving the table absolutely stuffed to their gills.  You can easily double it for more servings or for bulk cooking so you have leftovers.  This is a great meal to use as part of a meal prep.

 

Heat up your sauce

Stir in the gnocchi, then pour into your baking dish and top with cheese

Cost:  Gnocchi $1 (Dollar Tree) + Pasta sauce 89¢ + Cheese 30¢ = $2.19 (I purchased the cheese on sale).  Canned green beans 50¢.  Pasta sauce with meat is usually the same price as without so a meat sauce is still a very affordable option.  My homemade pasta sauce with meat came in at 78¢ per pint once all was said and done.  Substitute pasta purchased on sale for the gnocchi for even greater savings to make a nice baked pasta dish.

 

Revisiting An Old Post - Vegetarian Black Bean Enchiladas

 

I found this old post and dusted it off because it is a really good recipe.  Even if you are not a vegetarian it is so good you'll still want to make it.   Use a vegan cheese and this would be completely dairy free.  I like to toss in meatless meals every once in a while to help extend our budget as well as add some variety to our culinary life.  If you are interested in this recipe click here.

 

Making Keto Chocolates

As I've shared before I have always had an incredible sweet tooth.  Going Keto has curbed it quite a bit, but I still enjoy a sweet treat every once in a while.  Especially if it is chocolate.

I posted on my other blog how I make my Keto chocolates.  If you are interested you can click here.  They are super simple to make and take only a few ingredients.  They taste good and are actually good for you.  What more can you ask?

Even if you aren't doing Keto these are still a really good treat to have on hand.  Really versatile too.  Give them a try and let me know what you think?

Healthy Low Carb Oatmeal

I love oatmeal, especially on a chilly morning, as a hearty and delicious way to start the day.  Being on keto however I thought oatmeal wasn't going to be a part of my diet anymore.  Fortunately, that isn't quite the case.  I just have to make it as healthy and low carb as possible.  And as luck would have it, it isn't all that difficult to do.

Surprisingly the quick cooking oats are lower in carbs than steel cut or old fashioned so that is what I used.  I also made sure to check the ingredients to make sure there weren't any preservatives or additives.

I think the serving size on the package is a bit too big.  Even before keto a full cup of cooked oats was too much.  I would usually make two servings and the girls and I would share it with some leftover.  None of us could eat it all.

I began by making a single serving of oatmeal.  One cup of water, a pinch of pink himilayan salt and 1/2 cup of oats.  Once the water and salt came to a boil I added the oats and cooked it for a minute, then covered the pan and removed it from the burner to sit for five minutes.  After it was done I added 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts, a packet of stevia with erythritol, a little bit of vanilla extract and some cinnamon and stirred it all together.

I divided the mixture in half to create two nice servings and topped each one with a couple tablespoons of cream and another sprinkle of cinnamon.  It was delicious!  The perfect size serving at only 12 grams of carbs.

While oatmeal won't be a part of my daily diet, it will still be a part of it on occasion.  I like that when it comes to my old favorite foods all I have to do is come up with really healthy way to prepare it.  I think I certainly accomplished it here.

Dollar Store Cuisine - Challenge #4

This one is quick, easy and pretty tasty.  Not to mention quite affordable.  The youngest took on this challenge by selecting only three items to make a fast and simple pasta alfredo meal, which brought her total in at only $2.79!

Pasta cooked and drained

Pasta sauce heating up

She started with a 24 ounce package of penne pasta, a can of Prego alfredo sauce and a can of green beans.  All three items are available at our local Dollar Tree for only $1 each with the exception of the green beans which sell for 79¢.

After bringing a big pot of water to a boil she cooked up only about a pound of the penne, drained it and then in the same pot she heated up the pasta sauce.  The green beans she warmed up in a dish in the microwave.  Once the sauces was heated through she added back the pasta and gave it a good stir.  And that was it, dinner was on the table.

She thought the pasta was pretty tasty for a canned sauce and because it is really thick she opted to thin it down a little bit with some milk before adding in the pasta.  It made enough for two people with plenty left over the next day for their lunch.  Both girls seemed to really like it and I think for a quick and thrifty meal it's a pretty good option.

Thrifty Meals Around $5 or Less - Baked Gnocchi

I made this for my girls a couple of weeks ago and they declared it delicious!  And blog worthy too.  So here you go!

Baked Gnocchi

2 pkg. potato gnocchi

1 jar pasta sauce

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1/2 cup cream

1 cup grated mozzarella

Cook gnocchi according to package directions, drain and set aside.  In a large pot heat pasta sauce with parmesan until it comes up to a bubble and the cheese has melted.  Remove from heat and stir in the cream.  Add in the gnocchi and gently stir to coat well with the sauce.  Place gnocchi into a lightly oiled 9" X 13" baking dish.  Sprinkle with mozzarella.  Cover in foil and place into a 350° oven for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and allow to cook until cheese is lightly browned.  Serves 8.

I "baked" mine it the microwave for 5 minutes and it turned out beautifully.  The girls said it was really good and I had a hard time not trying a bite because it smelled wonderful.

Here is the breakdown on what it cost me:

Gnocchi - 2 pkgs -  $2.00

Pasta sauce - 99¢

Parmesan - 50¢

Cream -  40¢

Mozzarella - 50¢

Grand Total - $4.39

I got the gnocchi at the dollar store and it is really good.  I got the pasta sauce on sale, parmesan at Winco for 2.38 a container, cream from a quart ($3.24) so it is less than a smaller container would be and the mozzarella was a loss leader for 99¢ a package.

In some cases costs are approximated.  Groceries prices vary depending on where you live.  I don't include condiments, oils, herbs and spices when I figure the cost of a meal as it would be incredibly tedious to do so.  Plus condiments are subjective as each person uses more or less.

Vegetable Of The Week

It doesn't really matter what type of dietary lifestyle you lead, sometimes getting enough vegetables into your diet can be a bit daunting.  Keeping a variety that doesn't bore you to tears can be a challenge as well.  But, thanks to a suggestion from my nutritionist I came up with an idea to help me along.

The piece of advice I was given was to focus on a particular vegetable each week and come up with a variety of ways to prepare that vegetable each time.  Brilliant!  We have since dubbed it "Vegetable Of The Week".

I made a list of our favorite vegetables:

Broccoli - raw, steam, roast, sauté, include in recipes

Green Beans - sauté, roast, include in recipes

Asparagus - steam, sauté, roast

Carrots - raw, steam, roast, sauté, stir fry, include in recipes

Mushrooms - raw, stuffed, sauté, stir fry, include in recipes

Cauliflower - raw, riced, steamed, roasted, include in recipes

Cabbage - raw, steamed, braised, roasted, stir fried, include in recipes

Zucchini - sauté, roast, bake, include in recipes

Yellow Squash - sauté, roast

Each week we pick a vegetable that will be the main focus.  A featured guest at our table, so to speak.  We prepare that veggie two or three different ways and then move on to another one the next week.  It really helps to break up the potential for boredom or monotony and forces us to think of new ways to prepare our food.

Broccoli is one of those veggies that our family really enjoys and is extremely versatile.  We like to toss it in a little olive oil, minced garlic and some salt and pepper and then roast it in the oven until it just starts to crisp a little on the edges.  My oldest can't get enough.  And cream of broccoli soup is sooo good!

Our favorite way to prepare fresh green beans, hands down, has to be sautéing them in olive oil or bacon fat with sliced mushrooms and then finishing them off with a big spoonful of minced garlic and some soy sauce.

Asparagus is good sautéed or roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Or steamed and tossed with butter is fantastic too.

Carrots are awesome raw, steamed or roasted and tossed with butter, salt and pepper, grated or julienned into salads, grated and added to dessert recipes, or as part of a stir fry.

We love to stuff mushrooms, slice them into salads or to add with other veggies, and of course they are excellent as part of a pasta sauce or sautéed with peppers and included in an omelet.

Cabbage is another versatile vegetable that is great raw or cooked.  We use it a lot in a variety of salads as well as steamed and dressed with butter, salt and pepper.  It is also fantastic shredded and added to soups in place of pasta.

Zucchini and Yellow Squash really go well together and I will often slice them up and saute or roast them in olive oil with garlic, basil, salt, pepper and some butter.  Delish!  And of course zucchini is great julienned and used in place of pasta as well as shredded and used in muffins, bread, and Zucchini Bites.  I also diced it up and add it to soups and pasta, slice it and add to lasagna or shred it and add it to meatloaf.

So there are some ideas for you on what you can do with a variety of veggies.  If you have some other ideas please share them in the comments below.  I'm always looking for more ideas.

Easy Mousse! - Sugar Free/Low Carb

It seriously doesn't get much easier than this.  Or tastier either.  If you need a quick dessert that is easy to prepare and on the thrift side as well you are in luck!

Sugar Free Mousse

1 cup whipping cream

1 cup water

1 small box sugar free instant pudding

In a bowl mix cream and water.  Add pudding and whisk together.  Use a mixer to beat for several minutes, until mixture thickens and increases in volume.  Chill one hour.  Serves 4

You can make chocolate, butterscotch, vanilla, pistachio or lemon.  Whatever flavor of sugar free pudding you can find.  Serve it in little dessert dishes and dress it up with a dollop of whipped cream if you like.

Low carb or keto doesn't mean we go without at all!  Dessert is definitely still on he menu.

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

Need a super easy, quick cookie to throw together?  This one will fit the bill.  I hadn't made these in years so I thought I would and share it with you as well.

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup peanut butter, creamy or chunky

1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar or sweetener of choice

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 egg

In a large mixing bowl use a mixer to combine peanut butter, sugar or sweetener and baking soda.  Add egg and continue mixing until it comes together to form a soft dough.  Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place on baking sheet.  Flatten each ball with a fork to form a crosshatch pattern.  Bake at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown.  Let rest at least 5 minutes before removing to a rack to cool.  Makes 18 cookies.

These are lightly sweet and very good.  I like them best when I use brown sugar.  If you have gluten issues or are watching your carbs these are a great alternative to traditional peanut butter cookies.

Black Bean Enchiladas

Many of you have asked for my black bean enchilada recipe and to be honest I don't really have one.  I just kind of throw crap together and it is, what it is.  So I'll tell you what I usually do.

This

and this

become this

In an oiled 9" X 13" baking pan I layer corn tortillas with two cups of cooked black beans and a can of diced tomatoes mixed in with some kind of veggies, usually frozen corn, chopped onions, carrots, zucchini and bell peppers, that I've sautéed in some olive oil.  You can use whatever veggies you like.

A layer of enchilada sauce in the bottom of the pan

a layer of tortillas

a layer of the bean and veggie mixture, then sprinkle with cheese

and repeat until you get to the top of the pan and top with more sauce

I top each layer with some shredded medium or sharp cheddar and canned red enchilada sauce.  Place a sheet of foil over the top and bake in a preheated 350°oven for about 35 to 40 minutes.  I like to let it sit about 15 minutes before cutting and serving.  It is wonderful with a little dollop of sour cream too.

and a final sprinkle of cheese
Cover with foil and it is ready for the overn!

Pretty simple and always delicious.  Healthy too!